


Games For Girls - ACT 1

by defuse00



Series: Games For Girls [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternia is Terrible, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Gen, Non-Canonical Character Death, murderstuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-02-06 09:32:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12814659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/defuse00/pseuds/defuse00
Summary: Murderstuck goes a little bit differently, leaving some trolls that didn't do much the first time having bigger influences.  Some die pointlessly, and some become heroes.





	1. Real Life Murder

Karkat: Troll Jade

You haven't quite recovered from Terezi's abscond yet, idiot! No point talking to another girl whose going to yell at you some more. And Jade kept saying some weird shit during that conversation. Kept asking if you felt okay, or if anything bad was happening. It kind of creeped you out.

Kanaya is standing next to the transportalizer, waiting on Eridan so she can go to the core of the meteor with him. At least you're still on good terms with Kanaya, of all the bulge gurgling idiots on this metor. She's a good friend, but busy too. She's helping you with the plan to help the humans and working to restore your race.

Sollux and Feferi, over the course of the last few hours, moved from separate computers, to adjacent computers, to the same computer, and then to Gamzee's pile of horns. Their closeness was kind of embarrassing. You'd tell them to go get a block, but you know Sollux was kinda beaten up about Aradia. You didn't want them going somewhere more private either. There's already few enough of you in the computer room.

You're listening to Eridan's conversation with Sollux and Feferi, and did you just hear what you thought you heard? Did Eridan say he was joining Jack? What?! You want to shout him down, bring back the Eridan you know, but his hand is tight on that wand. Why does he have his weapon out? You listen more closely.

"-be unstoppable and our anemones will tremble before us what do you say."

Feferi's glare back would intimidate even Terezi. "NO. You have lost ALL RIGHT to use fish puns FOREVER. I revoke your fish punning license, as whale as our frondship!"

"Don't take that tuna voice with me princess" Eridan growls.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST SAY???" Feferi's shout echoes off the walls of the lab. "That's it. This makes me sad, Eridan, but now we have to stop you. We can't let you find Jack and risk you leading him to us."

Eridan grips his wand tighter "So thats how it is is it"

Before any one moves, Eridan blasts Sollux through the head. Ochre blood splatters Feferi, who has already moved to defend herself, culling fork between her and Eridan, crouching behind the horn pile. Eridan looks at her, but doesn't fire at her. You're not sure why.

You already have your sickles out, but you can't charge in. No defense, and there isn't any cover in this room. Luckily, Eridan seems to have forgotten you exist, so you stay still. Kanaya has no such luck. Eridan has moved so he can see both Kanaya and Feferi, focusing more on Kanaya .

Kanaya hasn't attacked him, but only due to indecision. Her head whips back and forth between Eridan and the matriorb. An unspoken KILL THE FUCKING BASTARD passes through your head, but Kanaya remains undecided. Eridan makes the decision for her, blasting the matriorb. She runs at him, chainsaw roaring and he fires again.

Holy shit. She's dead. Sollux is dead and Kanaya is dead and Eridan killed them. A haze passes over your vision, and you

SCREAM.

You run at... him. And you see him raise the wand at you a-

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feferi Pexies: Recover

Blood slides down your face. Everything just happened so fast. Through a veil of blood and shock, you watch Eridan leave through the transportializer.

Your body acts without thinking. You need to make sure no assassins return here (ignore the fact that the assassin is Eridan, the one you thought you could trust). You stab at the transportilizer, rendering it unusable.

You need to gather people together. You're pretty sure you can't beat Eridan by yourself. But who can help? After a moment of thought, you have an idea! You can get Equius to help. He always seemed to have a little hate for Eridan (and didn't that make you jealous, Equius hated Eridan, and he barely knew him).

Of course, you're not that comfortable contacting Equius directly. He always behaved weird around you, like you were special. Much better, you decide, to contact Nepeta and have her pass the message on to Equius. But first, you should make sure you can defend this room.

Looking around at the corpses of your friends, you... you decide you need to take a moment to yourself.

Feferi: Mourn

You look at the corpse in front of you. Sollux. He had died to save you from meteors. No one would have blamed him, leaving another troll dead from meteors. He didn't have to risk himself like that. And you had saved him from death too. Maybe it would work again?

You kiss him, as hard as you can, but as you knew, nothing happens. Derse is a collection of green fire. You won't ever have any one who respects you for you, that doesn't care about blood, or what you can do for them. You won't find that kind of bond for a long time, if you ever do. You already miss his lisp and his stupid jokes. The way he got happy or mad about the smallest things.

And over there, Kanaya and the remains of the matriorb. And as selfish as it is, you're more concerned with Kanaya. She was a voice of reason when you needed one, and helped you deal with Eridan when you needed help with that too. Why couldn't she have stayed out of the way?

You turn to look at Karkat, and for the first time, you realize that it's not burgundy. It's bright red, cull on sight red. He didn't trust you enough to tell you. He constantly exposed himself to criticism for his leadership, but he never told you. Or Eridan, judging by the look on his face when it happened. You won't get a chance to prove your ability to look past mutations and blood. And you'll be have to lead now.

Feferi: Contact Backup

cuttlefishCuller[CC] began trolling  arsenicCatnip[AC]  
CC: )(ey Nepeta!  
CC: Are you t)(ere?  
AC: :33 < fefurry?  
AC: :33 < did something happen?   
CC: -Eridan went crazy, said )(e was going to join Jack  
CC: )(e killed Sollux, Kanaya and Karkat.  
CC: I'm okay, but we s)(ould probably stick toget)(er for safety  
AC: :33 < karkitty's dead!?!  
AC: :33 < i'll talk to equius, and we'll come back  
AC: :33 < you're in the computer room right?  
CC: Yea)(!  
CC: But you're going )(ave to get )(ere wit)( t)(e stairs, because I disabled t)(e transportalizer.  
AC: :33 < okay?  
AC: :33 < we're going to the computer room right now.  
cuttlefishCuller[CC] stopped trolling arsenicCatnip[AC]  


You decide to contact Vriska next. You're not sure where she is, or even if she'll be able to help, but she at least deserves to know what's going on.

Oddly enough, she doesn't answer your trolling. She's probably got "some irons in the fire". You tell her what you know, and tell her to go to the computer room.  Thinking about Vriska leads you to Terezi. She's pretty good in a strife and shouldn't be distracted by anything else right now. You decide to troll her next.

cuttlefishCuller[CC] began trolling gallowsCalibrator[GC]  
CC: )(ey Terezi!   
CC: Are you t)(ere?   
GC: hey there fishsis   
GC: WHAT THE MOTHERFUCK IS UP WITH YOU   
CC: Clamzee?   
CC: W)(y do you )(ave Terezi's glasses?   
GC: lawsis wasn't paying much attention   
GC: TOO BUSY MAKING THE MOST UNMIRTHFUL OF TEARS FOR A MOTHERFUCKING HERETIC   
GC: so I taught her a motherfucking lesson   
CC: Are you feeling alrig)(t Clamzee?   
CC: You don't sound alrig)(t.   
GC: NEVER FELT MOTHERFUCKING BETTER   
GC: i've been all up and learning my heritage   
GC: OF THE SUBJUGGLATORS   
GC: and ive been learning all sorts of things   
GC: LIKE WHO I MOTHERFUCKING AM   
GC: and what I'm supposed to motherfucking do   
cuttlefishCuller[CC] has blocked gallowsCalibrator[GC]  


Oh no. You didn't really know Gamzee, but you get the feeling that this wasn't normal. He hadn't ever done anything aggressive, even towards shy Tavros or anonymous Karkat. It was sad to think that the mellow Gamzee you knew was just a by-product of his habits. You had hoped he would prove the purples could be brought to heel in a peaceful society.

You were once offered your own subjugglator bodyguards from the empress. You had initially been against the idea, but Eridan had told you that you shoud go inspect what they were offering you and "get some intelligence about the enemy". You brought him with you to the subjugglator training camp, which turned out to be a good idea.

You only saw one killing while you were there, which forced you and Eridan into a pile for a while. But even just the aura of the place caused you to vomit a few times. The training was incredibly intense, with duels between clowns being incredibly bloody affairs. The rainbow of blood on some walls made the building's past incredibly obvious and the general hum of emotion-based psionics made the place nearly unbearable.

You had considered telling Eridan to kill you if you ever got that bad. You never wanted to be anything like that. You knew you had the potential, your ancestor being a clear sign. But Eridan was going to go bad first. He approved of all of this. He was happy to let the landdwellers kill each other. He hadn't really changed since then, and now you had a real clown to deal with. You need to do something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: 12/4/17 Added Nepeta's quirk


	2. Suddenly, You Understand Jack Shit

Equius: Pacify your morial  
   
  
While recovering from the latest pile, Nepeta's computer emitted a beep. Scurrying over to see who was trolling, she got more and more emotional as the conversation continued. Finally she slammed the computer down and stared at the wall.  
   
You see Nepeta is on the edge of tears. You can't remember the last time you saw her cry. It's been at least a sweep, when she was thinking about conscription. A tear streaks down her cheek.  
   
"Nepeta, shoosh" you say, hoping to calm her. "What's wrong?"  
   
Unable to speak for emotion, Nepeta hands you her computer. You delicately put it in front of you, and read. Your examination reveals fushia text and bad news. You had disliked the sea dweller, but you didn't think he would do anything like this. You head back to your morial, and gently touch her.  
   
You never approved of Nepeta's crush on your hemo-anonymous leader. But now is not the time for disrespect for the dead. You consider whether to pile now, or wait until you get to the computer room. You decide on the one that will get you out of danger.  
   
"Nepeta, I know this is hard for you and we will have a pile about it later, but we ought to do as the heiress says and go to the computer room."  
   
"You're right. But I mean, I didn't even say goodbye. I don't know what he last said to me. I just left, expecting him to be there like always, that I'd get another chance to talk to him. " she sniffles.  
   
"Shoosh. You'll pull through. Your heart will recover."  
   
You two start slowly walking towards the computer room. Thinking about the route you should take, you realize you have no idea where Eridan is. You decide to contact the heiress in order to get more information about the sea dweller and his location.  
   
  
centaursTesticle[CT] began trolling cuttlefishCuller[CT]  
CT: D --> Forgive my intrusion, heiress   
CT: D --> If it pleases you, I would like some information about the seadweller  
CC: W)(at do you want to know?  
CT: D --> Do you have any idea of where he is going or who he will try to kill ne%t  
CT: D --> The threat he poses is obvious and it would serve us well to el00d him  
CT: D --> Unless you would like me to pursue him  
CC: )(OW did you get "go fig) (t -Eridan" from "come to t)(e computer room"?  
CT: D --> My STRONGEST apologies  
CT: D --> I did not mean to make such a STRONG objection to your orders  
CT: D --> When I get to your location, you may put me in my place  
CT: D --> I wished to put my STRENGTH to your use  
CC: YOU CAN US-E IT BY G---ETTING )(-ER-E GLUBBIN QUICKLY.  
CT: D --> Yes ma'am  
CC: O)( yea)(, ot)(er issue.  
CC: Clamzee went crazy and started ranting aboat krilling people.  
CC: )(e's already killed Terezi.  
CC: So avoid )(im too.  
CT: D --> You mean the highbl00d has embraced his heritage  
CC: )(IS )(---ERITAG---E OF TRYING TO KRILL ALL OF US S)(OR----E.   
CC: COM--E STRAIG)(T TO T)(--E COMPUT--ER ROOM AND DON'T TRY TO FIG)(T ---EIT)(---ER OF T)(--EM.    
cuttlefishCuller[CC] ceased being trolling by centaursTesticle[CT]  
   
  
You break the bow your were fiddling with. The heiress is both intense and easy to anger. Nepeta sees your discomfort and paps your shoulder. "You shouldn't talk to her if she makes you so nervous," she says.  
   
You shake your head. "I wouldn't want to insult her by avoiding her," you explain.  
   
Nepeta laughs. She seems to have recovered from her earlier sadness. "I don't think she likes talking to you, since you care so much about blood. She said she hated whenever Eridan would talk about it."  
   
"Neigh" you argue "I'm just being respectful. "  
   
Nepeta giggles some more.  
   
Vriska: Figure out what's going on  
   
   
You've been wandering around the meteor for a while. You'd go join the people in the computer room, but they're all so booooooooring. You don't feel like answering any questions about Tavros or the brown blood on your hands.  
   
You were hoping to find someone else out here, maybe yell at Makara or tease Equius and Leijon. But you haven't seen anyone. Your computer buzzed with a message a while back, but you don't want to read whatever Vantas sent you. You're a busy troll, got irons in the fire and all that.  
   
You finally decide to take a look at your computer. You'll read Vantas's message before you start trolling John again. Maybe he'll have something interesting to say.  
   
Karkat is not the person who contacted you. You've only talked to Pexies a little. You always found her boring, and not in the interesting way, like Tavros. Just normal boring. But the news she sent you is shocking.  
   
CC: Eridan killed Sollux, Kanaya and Karkat  
   
And then later.  
   
CC: I'm pretty sure Gamzee killed Terezi, so watc)( out.  
   
You don't trust Feferi's word for it, so you move contact Terezi yourself. Before you do, you notice her trolltag is indigo. Maybe its some kind of joke?  
   
   
arachnidsGrip[AG] started trolling gallowsCalibrator[GC]  
AG: Hey Pyrope!  
AG: Still talking to that cherry red loser?  
GC: lawsis ain't talking to motherfucking anybody right now.  
GC: SHE DON'T GOT ANY MOTHERFUCKERS TO TALK AT WHERE SHE AT.  
AG: Fuck you Makara.  
AG: Where'd the confused clown go?  
AG: At least that was funny.  
GC: he got all kinds of motherfucking lost.  
GC: FOUND A NEW FRIEND WHO TOLD HIM WHAT I WAS MOTHERFUCKING MISSING.  
GC: started causing the funniest of events.  
GC: ITS A MOTHERFUCKING CIRCUS!  
AG: Whaaaaaaaatever.  
AG: I'll come kill you if I feel like it.  
AG: 8etter watch out.  
GC: going to come kill me.  
GC: LIKE YOU DID TO MOTHERFUCKING TAVBRO.  
AG: How do you know th8t?  
GC: motherfucking miracles.  
GC: THAT'S HOW.  
AG: Sh8t 8p.  
arachnidsGrip[AG] ceased trolling gallowsCalibrator[GC]  
   
   
You're not sure if you're going to follow through on killing Gamzee. While you're certain that you could beat him in a strife, you need to save your luck for Jack. And you know it's going to take a lot of luck to beat Gamzee. You know what he did to the Black King, and Terezi is no pushover.  
   
There's also Eridan to think about. Maybe you should go get some help with this fight. Maybe then you'll have enough luck left to beat Jack and save what's left of this team.  
   
Feferi: Recieve support  
   
   
You won't admit it outside of a pile, but you've been pretty scared here alone. After one of your conversations, you started to hear Gamzee honking in the distance. To distract yourself, you decided to move the bodies into one area. This is when you noticed that Kanaya's body was missing.  
   
You're not sure what to think about this. As far as you know, no one besides you has been here. There's a trail of jade from the place her body had been to the horn pile, and then down the stairs. You saw that Gamzee was moving extremely fast during the Black King fight, so you guess it could have been him? But why? Is he sparing you due to blood? You'd be insulted by that, but you don't think its true.  
   
Finally you see Equius and Nepeta. You're relieved, but you try to conceal it. You need to keep spirits up. "Hey guys, get up here, quick!"  
   
The two of them get up the stairs. At the sight of the bodies, Equius almost falls down the stairs. Nepeta hangs her head down, hands covering her mouth. You can see olive tears forming in her eyes."That's Karkat, isn't it?"  
   
You nod. Nepeta slowly walks towards the body. Equius seems to recover from his shock and whispers to you "Didn't you say the jade blood was dead?"  
   
"Yes. I'm not sure what happened to the body, it just vanished, " you reply.  
   
Nepeta walks around the body a few times, then walks back to your little group. "What are we going to do now?"  
   
A pair of eyes appear in shadows. "We kill the fuckers who did this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kind comments. This is my first work I've posted on the internet, and I'm glad you guys like it some much. See you next week!


	3. Chapter 3 - Believing what your heart is telling you

Nepeta: Witness confession

"Vriska!" Feferi shouts "Get up here! And why didn't you answer me earlier?"

Vriska strolls up the stairs, hands in pockets, like there aren't two predators on this meteor. "Sounded boring. But I aaaaaaaam interested in some revenge."

"No one besides you has proposed anything so foalish, Vriska," Equius says. "The sea dweller was victorious in a combat where he prevailed against both our leader and a powerful psionic. The highblood has eons of heritage behind his capabilities to kill. We need to be cautious. "

Vriska laughs loudly, "Yeah sure. But I'm god tier, and you're strong as fuck. I'm sure -"

"Language, Vriska, " Equius scolds.

Feferi frowned. "Vriska, have you seen Tavros?"

"Yeah" Vriska says as she reached the top of the stairs. "Me and him got into a fight. I won, and killed him."

Feferi, in one smooth movement, uncapalogged her weapon and hit Vriska in the stomach with the side of it." WHAT THE FUCK VRISKA! YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL SOMEONE AND THEN COME BACK LIKE YOU HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING WRONG? " Feferi shouts as she runs down the stairs, after Vriska's body "WHY DO YOU THINK THAT WE WON'T HUNT YOU DOWN?"

The two girls get to the bottom of the stairs at the same time. Feferi keeps hitting Vriska with the side of her fork. Equius is shaking like a leaf, but also staring with a small smile. Seriously? You're going to have to have a pile about this. But someone has to get Feferi to stop, so you make it you. "Fefurry, let her speak!"

You're not sure if the red tinge in Feferi's eyes is real or not, but it's gone quickly. She levels her culling fork at Vriska's prone form. "Do you have anything to say for yourself? " Feferi asks.

Vriska stands slowly and spits on the ground. "You need me. I killed Tavros, sure, but I'm the only god tier on the meteor. If you reject me, you won't have any protection. You want to punish me later, fine. But I going to help, whether you want me to or not."

Feferi slams her culling fork on the ground. You move to get behind Equius. Equius doesn't move, but you hear a tooth break in his mouth. You see Vriska flinch, but only a little. " Fine, maybe we need you. But don't think for a second I trust you." Feferi states.

"Whatever," Vriska whines "Here's the plan. Me and Zahhak are going to go out and kill the fucks who did this. We are in agreement on this, right?"

You consider this. Eridan's crimes are obvious, but Gamzee hasn't actually done any worse than Vriska. Equius was apparently thinking similarly, "Perhaps the highblood may listen to authority. Now that he has satisfied his bloodlust, it may be possible to reign in his rage. If we all go, the heiress may be able to command him."

Feferi shook her head, "He didn't listen to me when I trolled him, and I doubt he'd listen now. I think we should kill him."

Vriska laughs. "I'm all for revenge. Let's go Zahhak"

You speak up. "What about me? I can help!"

Feferi looks around. "I don't think we should leave anyone behind . Gamzee's probably trying to pick off isolated trolls."

Vriska sighs "We can't bring everyone on this little trip. All due respect _heiress_ , but you're more likely than to get in the way than help in a fight. I wouldn't mind bringing Lejion, but we should probably keep someone back. Anyone want to argue?"

You don't like the current state of affairs. Equius going out into dangerous territory without you just feels bad. But everyone else's arguments seem solid, so you just nod. Every one seems to have agreed, so Equius and Vriska get ready to leave.

Nepeta : Say Goodbye

You go over to Equius before he leaves. "Be careful okay. It's dangerous out there, and I don't trust Vwiskers."

Equius stands confidently, "I am aware of her habit of double crossing, and will keep my eye on her. You be respectful of the heiress, you hear."

You laugh. Feferi would hate if you treated her the way Equius wanted you too. You think that's real respect, treating her like another troll, not a symbol of blood hierarchy. You'll talk about it when you and Equius pile. " Alright, I'll be respectful. You don't have to worry about me."

Equius nods, relieved, "Alright, so... goodbye then."

You panic for a moment. Seriously? Equius sounds more like he's going on a suicide mission than a simple hunt. You guess the news about Gamzee must have shaken him more than you thought. "Okay, goodbye" you respond "But you better know that I will see you again!"

Equius nods and walks away. You watch as he leaves. He should be fine. Vriska might be unstable, but as long as he's on her side he should be fine.

After he disappears into the darkness, you try to find somewhere that isn't bloodstained to sit. Feferi sits far enough away to be reasonable, but still close enough to talk.

Nepeta : Talk

"Are you and Equius always that... pale?" Feferi asks.

You blush. You didn't think you guys had been too affectionate, but you haven't been around other trolls together much. "Uh, sorry about that. Me and Equius get a little, uh..."

Feferi laughs, but its a gentle kind of laugh, nothing like Vriska's harsh one, that feels like she's laughing at you. "No, no it's fine. I was just thinking about me and Eridan. We were never really pale like that, and I'm stuck wondering how much of our relationship was real."

You think for a moment. "I'm not really sure I'm clawified to make that kind of judgment. I mean, a pale relationship is what you make of it. If it's like me and Equius, I spend time calming him and he keeps me connected to other trolls. But if a pale relationship is between two trolls of very different blood castes," you look over at Feferi, trying to see her reaction, but her face doesn't change," the relationship is based on one troll calming the other, and one protecting the other. That's not to say that two trolls close in blood color can't be morials, but they have to know what that means to them."

Feferi nods. "I guess if you put it that way, it feels like our relationship was really one sided. I mean, I did almost all of the pacifying, while he helped feed Gl'bgolyb, " she says.

"And both of those things happened, didn't they. I mean, after the game started part of the relationship didn't really apply any more, but that's not to say it didn't work when we were on Alternia. That's why you broke up right?" you respond.

"I guess. " Feferi seems to consider this for a while.

You hadn't thought much about Feferi and Eridan relationship before the game. It was unusual in multiple ways, but you guess any relationship with a tyrian would be weird, especially one as different as Feferi. You think maybe Eridan should have made more of an effort to be emotionally available for Feferi, but not everyone can do that. You guess not all morialships are fated, and it takes a while to figure that out. "Do you think I should have stayed with him? I mean, he obviously needed pacifying, " Feferi burst out.

You do so more thinking. You might be a shipping expert, but these are some tough questions. "I mean, if he isn't adding anything to the morialship any more, you're well within your rights to end it. But this," you waved a claw at the scene around you, "is exactly what morialship is supposed to prevent. On Alternia, being so unstable but not having anything to contribute would have lead to... a culling, I guess"

Feferi gasps quietly. "Did... did that really happen? If a lowblood was unstable and no one was willing to protect them, they would just be executed?"

You nod slowly. It's difficult to remember how sheltered Feferi is sometimes. "I didn't see much of it, but Equius would tell me about cullings that he heard of. A bunch of them were psionics like Sollux but not as strong that got culled for disturbing highbloods."

You see Feferi get a little misty eyed. You feel a little guilty mentioning Sollux after his recent death. She recovers quickly though, and says, "You still haven't answered the question. Should I have stayed with him? "

This time, you're ready with an answer. "No. It's not worth your life to keep him functioning. It would just take too much effurt to save him. If there were more trolls, someone else could have tried, but you had already attempted it and knew it wouldn't work. You couldn't have known that it would end this badly, but even if you did, it's still not your fault. You need to live for yourself, because no one, even a quadrant, is going to do it for you. "

Feferi sighs," Yeah, you're probably right. Thanks Nepeta. "

You smile, "Glad I could help."

You two sit in silence for a while. Feferi seems like she's about to speak up, but then you hear footsteps. Feferi moves to get behind a desk. You get behind the horn pile. You watch carefully as... oh no.

Eridan walks up the stairs, wand ready and glowing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like this chapter. Think everything turned out well. Thanks for the kind words!


	4. Chapter 4 - It's Hard and No One Understands

Vriska: Find the Enemy

You're fucking trying alright! You'd think between being a fucking clown and his incessant honking, Maraka would be easy to find. But you haven't seen any trace of him. The same applies to Ampora, although he has a greater claim to stealth.

Equius suddenly starts talking, "Do you feel we're doing something incorrect, neigh, wrong by doing this."

You're annoyed. Being around Zahhak is really annoying. Hell, he's probably the living person you hate the most. "Well judging how we haven't found anything, yeah, I'd say we're going about this wrong. You got a better idea?"

Equius shakes his head. "No, I mean from a moral standpoint. Two lowbloods hunting a highblood and a sea dweller. There's just something so... vulgar about it."

You roll your eyes. Equius would be so much less of a loser if he gave up on the whole blood hierarchy thing. You sigh,"We're doing this for Feferi. She's basically empress now and we're dealing with some treasonous highbloods. Does that satisfy your compulsive need to constantly follow a system invented a universe away that never did any of us any good?"

"Yes, thank you," he responds. God you hate how he ignores you and just says whatever he wants. At least Tavros responds to you. Well, he used to.

Interrupting your depressing train of thought is...

**HONK**

Gamzee is leaning on some kind of ventilation device. You didn't see him arrive and judging from Equius' reaction, neither did he. He honks again. "what's up spiderbitch"

He looks right at Equius, "PEASANTBLOOD".

Zahhak responds nervously, "What did you say?"

Makara laughs darkly, "You heard me. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT."

Equius shudders, "I.."

Gamzee interrupts him by laughing. "I know you want to motherfucking serve bro. BUT I CAN'T FORGIVE THE HERESYS THAT BE FALLING OUT OF YOUR GAPHOLE."

"I am serving the heiress" Equius replies.

"motherfucking funny, bro. BUT WE BOTH KNOW SHE CAN'T GIVE YOU WHAT YOU WANT. she'll never demand anything from you." Gamzee says. His eyes are bright red, and focused on Equius. "SHE AIN'T GOING TO RULE YOU LIKE I WILL. So if you want to do your duty", he pauses, "YOU BETTER KILL THE SPIDERBITCH."

You see Maraka's angle in this. If he gets Equius on his side, then he has the numbers advantage. Making an argument against the clown would be impossible. Gamzee has dominated Equius' entire life, now that he's using it to his advantage, you don't stand a chance. You feel one of those ideas coming on. The one's that feel good at the time but you regret later. You turn back to Zahhak. He looks terrified. You don't feel sorry for him (maybe you do).

Vriska: Fight

You roll the fluorite octet.  The dice come up eights. Makara jumps back, out of range. You slash Zahhak's throat.

Equius' knees hit the ground. You hear Gamzee laugh like it's the funniest thing he's seen. You make a gesture with your right hand at Gamzee, and get some more luck. He runs at you, but more slowly. If he's not careful he'll get unlucky and fall.

He swings at you, but you duck under the blow. You swing for his leg and are blocked by a club. How is he so fast? You fly up in order to flank him, but a thrown club knocks you back down. Gamzee laughs, giving you a moment.

While he's distracted, you activate a fraymotif. [Fortune Favors the Bold] rings out with strings and trumpets. You charge at Gamzee, hoping that you can at least match him in close combat in order to get luck from the fraymotif.

You swing at his downed form, but you're barely able to dodge when he turns and tries to hit you with a club. Even with your good luck and enhancements from your dice, he's still far faster than you and better at close combat to boot. You block his blows desperately, but the blows hurt even when you block them, and a club grazes your ribs. You fly backwards to reevaluate.

You take the opportunity to manipul8 him. It probably won't work, but maybe you can delay him. Psionics, stronger than yours, tear your attempt to shreds. No advantage there.

Suddenly, you see something glowing in the distance. All of you watch as some kind of glow moves towards the fight. The figure is troll shaped, but you can't identify them. Why would a troll be glowing anyway? Then they pull out a chainsaw, and you understand.

Kanaya moves like a picture of grace as she charges towards Gamzee . Makara seems to recover from his shock and tries to attack Kanaya. She counters easily, chainsaw flowing from club to club more like threading a needle than swinging a huge piece of machinery.  You move to a defensive position and ready to defend yourself. Kanaya may not know that you're actually doing the right thing this time (kind of) and could mistakenly attack you.

Gamzee can't keep up with Kanaya's strength and speed, especially since every blow is damaging his clubs. She bisects him in one movement and turns towards you. You reach your mind towards hers, and try to manipul8 her. Your attempt clatters off her mind harmlessly, unable to get past a wall. It feels like the time you tried to control Mr. White Text, just scratching at an invulnerable surface.

She moves faster than you can see, and grabs you by the collar. She slams you into a wall. "Why did you kill Equius?" she growls.

You're not sure you've ever heard her sound so mad. You want to explain, but instead you respond, "Didn't know you cared about that loser, Fussyfangs. Getting soft with your second life?"

She flips you over her shoulder and slams you into the ground. Your ribs ache. After Peixes got in some hits earlier and Gamzee clipped you with his clubs, they've been pretty sensitive. They're going to hurt for a night or so, if you survive. "He was going to join Gamzee and help him kill me. I had too."

Kanaya gives you a level stare. "He hadn't attacked you yet."

You laugh and say, "You didn't hear what Gamzee was saying, and you don't know Equius. Gamzee could have told him to break his own neck and he would do it. Killing his neighbor he always disapproved of? Simple."

Kanaya looks doubtful, but she doesn't know enough about Equius to argue. She glances around, then asks, "Who is still alive?"

You answer, "Leijon and Peixes are in the computer room. That's it as far as I know."

"Have you seen Eridan?"

"Haven't seen him yet."

"What happened to Tavros?" she demands.

You look down. "Him and I got in a fight. I killed him."

She slaps you. "You disgust me, Vriska Serket. I thought I could help you before, but you seem to have made yourself irredeemable. Consider us over."

You're not angry. You knew you two were over ever since she got jealous about Tavros. You're just happy she's alive. 


	5. Chapter 5 - This Obviously Warrants Revenge.

Nepeta: Fight 

No way! You aren't running straight at Eridan and dying. Too many of your friends have gotten hurt that way. You dash away from your seat and get behind a desk. Eridan's eyes track you, but Feferi distracts him. "What are you doing here?" she asks. 

Eridan frowns. "I wanted to give you a second chance Fef. If you got a chance to think about my offer maybe you'd come to my way of thinking. You won't be lonely when they're all dead, you'll have me, like you did all the time when we were younger." 

Leveling a harsh stare at him, Feferi responds, "You know exactly why I'm not taking your glubbin deal." 

Eridan tilts his head. You think he's distracted enough, and start moving behind him. He responds, "No, I don't get it Fef. I don't know why you feel any kind of positive emotion to the filthbloods. You're supposed to rule them, make them serve you. But I can do that. Please let me try." 

Feferi shakes her head. "I don't care about their serfish. I care about them, like fellow trolls. You always used to talk about seadweller solidarity. Why won't you apply that to the whole species?" 

You smile as you creep behind Eridan. You were afraid Feferi might start agreeing with Eridan. Their history is a mystery to you. But Feferi is talking to Eridan so that you can ambush him. 

Eridan smirks." You don't really care about them. I saw how you looked at Sollux. You -" 

"Don't even talk about him!" Feferi shouts. "Besides, I know you can't understand." 

"And why's that?" 

Feferi smiles, "You stopped paying attention to Nepeta the moment she left your sight." 

You guess that's your signal to attack. You leap out and slash Eridan's ankle. He screams and turns, slipping to the ground. You grab his wand and Feferi jumps up and stabs him through the front of his torso. He's pinned to the floor by the culling fork. 

Feferi leans back and takes a deep breath. "Thanks for the kelp there, Nepeta. Don't think I could have done it by myself." 

Keeping a close eye on the pinned troll, you respond, "Yeah that was a good plan. What should we do with him?" 

Feferi frowns at his struggling form. You don't know what she's thinking. He has to die or else he puts everyone in danger. You might as well make it quick, considering the fact that he'll slowly bleed to death with the fork through his torsopillar. 

Feferi looks at you. "What do you think?" 

"I think we should cull him now. We have to kill him at some point, and we should make it quick." you respond. 

"I guess." she frowns "It just feels wrong to kill him with no chance to defend himself." 

Eridan coughs, "No, Fef, she's right. You've won. Finish me off." 

Feferi looks at him. "I... I can't."

 You can see the tears in Feferi's eyes. You never thought you'd see tears higher than indigo. Feferi's situation seems awful but you aren't going to take this choice from her. 

The tyrian turns toward you. "Can... can you do it?" 

You nod. He needs to die, and this can be your revenge for Karkat. You move to slit his throat. He croaks, "It'll take to long to bleed out from there. Chest please." 

You move your claw above his blood pusher, and stab. Eridan twitches, blood squirts out and then he lies still. You're glad you got some revenge out of this mess. 

Feferi: Think 

Eridan's body lays blankly on the floor. Even though you didn't directly kill him, it still looks like you did it. You remove the fork from his body and captchalog it. You'll clean it later. 

You hoped you would be happier, but there's nothing satisfying about this. You lost a lot of good people today and now your oldest friend. It might have been necessary but that doesn't mean you don't regret it. Nepeta takes a seat over by one of the computers, but you keep looking at the body. 

 Terezi: Arrive

It's been quite a confusing last few hours. From one room to another, you've been getting hints towards what Vriska has done. And then they stopped. You thought some about what you should do about Vriska. 

You could confront her about this without fighting, at least right away. You've almost been the best at getting her to stop when she's out of control. But you haven't done that kind of thing in a while. Somehow, you don't feel like Vriska's changed much since then. But she wouldn't be doing this whole taunting thing with you. She'd take the direct route. 

You wish you could message her, or anyone for that matter. They'll be an available computer in the computer room, you're pretty sure. You can get a better idea of what's going on. 

It's disturbingly quiet in the halls of the meteor. Especially since being blind hasn't just enhanced your sense of smell. Your hearing is a little better than the average troll, but you haven't heard anything since Gamzee's honking earlier. It bothers you not to hear anyone. The meteor is fairly big, so there's probably no one near you. Speaking of which, the computer room is just up ahead. 

The smell of death is your first warning that something is wrong. You've smelled death before. FLARP had plenty of it, much of which was your fault. But it was never anyone you knew. In this instance, it can only be a friend. You don't like it, but you need to find justice. With a heavy heart, you walk up the stairs to the computer room. 

The scene that greets you is unusual to say the least. A rotten meat smell decorates the back wall, while a sulphuric one covers the horn pile. The scent of dead leaves covers part of the floor, but it's almost drowned out by the smell of decaying grapes. A few living scents are in the room as well, Nepeta and Feferi. Feferi is studying one of the bodies, while Nepeta is seated by one of the walls. Another long sniff allows you to identify the bodies. Karkat, Sollux and Eridan's bodies are here, as well as a lot of Kanaya's blood. 

"So what's going on here, hmmm?" you ask to the room. 

Feferi whirls around and her eyes light up. "Terezi! You're alive!" 

Nepeta jumps to her feet and runs towards you. Your hand moves to your cane but she stops a safe distance away. "We thought you were dead!" she exclaims. 

You tilt your head. These two seem safe, but you never know. "Why would you think that?" you say. "I know I was out of contact but..."

"Gamzee started talking through your glasses." Nepeta responses. "He's gone crazy and said he killed you." 

You conceal your surprise. You were certain (sort of) that Gamzee was harmless. That people thought he killed you is disturbing. "What happened here?" 

"Eridan decided to try and join Jack. He killed Sollux, Kanaya and Karkat." Feferi explains. "He left, but Equius, Nepeta and Vriska came here once -" 

"Vriska killed Tavros" you blurt out. 

Feferi nods slowly. "She admitted as much. I didn't like not dealing with her, but we didn't have other options." 

You sigh. Justice will have to wait. "So why isn't she here now?" 

"She went with Equhiss to go hunt down Vriska." Nepeta tells you. "They should be coming back soon. "

As if her words summoned them, you hear footsteps approaching. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the commentary! Sorry about the posting confusion, I'm still getting the hang of AO3's system.


	6. Chapter 6 - Nothing but Bad News Lately

Feferi: Recieve news

Kanaya walks slowly up the stairs, almost floating up to you. You didn't expect her to be alive, but it seems that you're going to be surprised a lot today. She's holding Vriska by the collar, a position Vriska seems unhappy with. What happened out there?

When they get to the top, Nepeta asks a question that should have been on all of your minds. "Where's Equius?"

Nepeta sounds panicked. You're not sure why she's so worried. There's a lot of reasons why Equius could have spilt off from Vriska. Although, you guess it is Nepeta's job to care for her morial. You're kind of jealous of that kind of concern. You never really felt anything like that from anyone besides your mom.

Kanaya holds Vriska up, and announces, "I think Vriska will be happy to tell you what she did."

Vriska struggles feebly, "No! Fuck you, it was complicated and not my fault. I don't have to explain anything."

Kanaya blurs to the wall, where she slams Vriska into it. "I think, " she explains icily, "that you should have to explain the bad thing you did, to the person you hurt, for the first time in your life."

Vriska glances around, looking for an out. Terezi has an unreadable expression. Nepeta looks hungry for reassurance, some hope that something has gone right. You... you don't know what to think. You want to be hopeful, but the evidence is against it. Vriska takes a deep breath, "Equius was going to join Gamzee, so I had to kill him."

Nepeta: Be surprised

You had refused to think about what could happen to Equius out there. But part of you, the part of you that told you other trolls were predators or prey, not allies, that you only needed yourself, had said that this was inevitable. That you would lose Equius out in the dangerous world, and would return to where you belong. 

Before you found Equius, your life was a lot worse. It was easy to spend every night hunting, to not bother with the attempts of your lusus to get you to learn Alternian or to listen to the schoolfeeds. You didn't have any troll to talk to and you didn't want to know anything. Everything was just food or danger or family. 

But Equius saw you as a troll with potential. You didn't have any flaws that were unfixable in his eyes. Other trolls that you met through him thought you unworthy of real acknowledgement because of how different you were. But Equius knew you had a good heart and real empathy underneath your act of wildness. But even he couldn't take the wilderness out of you. 

The others are talking, something about whose fault this is and if things really happened that way, but you don't need to hear them.

You just need to get even.

Your world goes red.

Terezi: Clarify

The shock of Vriska's statement is palpable. Feferi's eyes widen with shock, and then she looks down in shame. Probably blames herself, poor girl. That isn't your business, however. 

Nepeta is just staring into space. She's normally moving constantly, tail twirling, fingers drumming, sitting and standing constantly. But now she's still, even her eyes unmoving. Definitely not your business. 

You turn to Kanaya. "I imagine you witnessed this first hand?" you ask her. 

She nods. She almost looks like she's enjoying this. You can get behind the application of justice. "I saw Equius and Vriska walking together and they encountered Gamzee." she tells you, "I couldn't determine the contents of the conversation, but as soon as the fight started Vriska killed Equius." 

You nod. "Did Equius look like he was on Gamzee's side?" you ask. 

Kanaya: Auspisticize

What? There isn't anything to meddle with here. You are merely having a discussion with Terezi about what exactly you witnessed. No conflict in sight. "Like I said, I only saw Vriska kill Equius, and acted on that knowledge. I can't say anything about what he would have done if he wasn't betrayed."

Terezi seems to consider this. You don't know what she's thinking about, but you trust she knows what she's doing. You yourself are conflicted on the issue. Vriska's gotten away with this kind of thing for a while and you don't think she should be allowed to continue. One the other hand, Vriska is normally quite open about why she killed someone and her insistence that this is a case of self defense makes you wonder if this kind of thing is avoidable in the future. You're sure similar thoughts are -

Nepeta leaps, claws fully extended and eyes blazing red. You move Vriska out of the way of the attack and block Nepeta's blow. "Nepeta don't do this. I know you're angry, but this solves -"

She interrupts you by clawing at your face. You stop her with your free hand. She's fast, but you're faster. The consequences of being a rainbow drinker. You grab her by the neck, using your greater height to keep her claws away from your face. "Nepeta, stop. While it may be necessary to cull Vriska it will only happen after a discussion. Stop trying to attack me and be patient."

Terezi looks at you sadly. "She's not listening to you. She used to be feral, she told me once. I don't think she'll calm down for a while."

You look back at her. She's been trying to get free, mostly by stabbing your arm with her claws. There's no recognition in her eyes, just anger. You feel a little thirsty, with all the blood in the air. You'll have to mention the downsides of your new condition soon. "That's... unfortunate." you say. "She always seemed perfectly articulate." 

You know a surprising amount about feral trolls for your position. Back when you were Vriska's morial, you researched how different lususes effected their trolls. Lusus-less trolls often searched the wilderness for a lusus, but almost never found them. The lack of a guardian damaged their intelligence and language skills. It could happen to trolls with lususes as well, usually lowbloods with lususes that were bad at communicating. 

Terezi continues, "Equius made himself responsible for her proper development. She took to it well, but some of the damage had already been done." 

You sigh. Nepeta has been a good friend for as long as you've known her. You ought to prevent her from doing anything she'll regret when she remembers herself again. "What should we do?" you ask. 

Terezi rubs her chin, but you know its just for effect. There's only a few good solutions to this, and no one wants this to end in more death. "Lock them both in their rooms. We need to be able to work undisturbed with the humans if we want our lifespan to extend beyond a few hours."

Vriska speaks up, "I can cooperate just fine. Don't lock me up like I can't make this work."

Terezi responds, "You haven't been helping this whole time, Vriska. Actually, from what I'm hearing from Dave, you might actually be disrupting the plan. I don't think we can afford the risk."

Vriska shakes her head, "I've been doing my own thing, Pyrope. I don't need any help from you losers."

Feferi sighs, "We can't afford to keep arguing like this. Kanaya, could you lock them in some rooms? You should be able to find some."

You nod. If everyone agrees on a course of action, you see no reason to disagree. If the decision was something extreme, you would have argued. But this seems like the best solution. You drag off the two trolls you have a grip on, and start looking for some rooms to put them in. Vriska's petulant silence in your left hand contrasts with Nepeta's growls and struggles on your right. This isn't a good ending to the recent tragedy, but it's the one you have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the late chapter!
> 
> As we approach the end of ACT 1, I want to thank all the support I've been getting. Your comments mean a lot to me. After this chapter will be Intermission 1, where we'll see our human characters interact with some trolls. After that, I'll be posting unrelated two one-shots. After that.. we'll see. ACT 2 is a ways off. Thanks for reading!
> 
> Edit: Based on some reader comments, added some stuff to get the chapter to work better. Hope you like it.


	7. Intermission 1 - Troll That Worthless Human

Everyone: Troll that worthless human  
ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering arachnidsGrip [AG]   
EB: hey, vriska!  
EB: i kissed rose like you said to.  
EB: but i can't tell if anything happened.  
EB: did you leave to fight jack already?   
AG: SORRY JOHN  
AG: VR1SK4 1SN'T 4LLOW3D TO T4LK TO 4NYON3 R1GHT NOW   
EB: terezi?  
EB: why do you have vriska's computer?   
AG: SH3'S B33N 1MPR1SON3D FOR H3R OWN GOOD  
AG: SH3'S K1LLED TOO M4NY P3OPL3 ON TH1S M3T3OR 4ND 1 C4N'T L3T H3R CONT1NU3.   
EB: ummmmmmmm........  
EB: i mean, i know she killed a few people  
EB: does karkat approve of this plan?   
AG: K4RK4T'S D34D JOHN  
AG: W3'V3 B33N H4V1NG MOR3 PROBL3MS TH4N JUST VR1SK4 4ND W3 DON'T N33D 4NY MOR3   
EB: karkat's dead?  
EB: that's bad   
AG: NO SH1T  
AG: YOU'LL L34RN TH3 D3T41LS L4T3R  
AG: SOM3ON3 3LS3 W1LL B3 GU1D1NG YOU THROUGH TH3 PL4N   
EB: alright!  
EB: why won't you be guiding me?   
AG: 1'LL B3 BUSY W1TH D4V3  
AG: DON'T WORRY  
AG: TH3 TROLL GU1D1NG YOU 1S 4LMOST 4S COMP3T3NT 4S 1 4M.   
EB: sounds good!  
EB: see you later terezi!   
ectoBiologist [EB] stopped pestering arachnidsGrip[AG]

cuttlefishCuller [CC] started trolling ectoBiologist [EB]   
CC: )(I JO)(N  
CC: I'm Feferi and I'll be making s)(ore you know your part of t)(e plan.   
EB: hey, you're... the fish-troll?  
EB: sorry, jade told me about you earlier, but it's been a while since then   
CC: )(e)(e  
CC: It's fine  
CC: I didn't know w)(o you were until Terezi told me just now  
CC: But I'm very --EXICT--ED to meet you  
CC: You seem to be doing very well as t)(e )(uman friend leader   
EB: i am?  
EB: i mean, we've lost a lot of dreamselves  
EB: and jack getting super over powered was a big problem for us and you  
EB: still is a problem, actually   
CC: Well  
CC: T)(ose are problems  
CC: But t)(ey're NOT YOUR FAULT  
CC: It s)(ould be obvious to anyone t)(at t)(ings t)(at were predestined aren't anyone's fault  
CC: Besides, we )(ave more important t) (ings to do t)(an assign blame   
EB: you're right  
EB: do you know if rose is okay?   
CC: Well...  
CC: I don't know for sure  
CC: But I can as)(ore you t)(at dream self resurrection works  
CC: As someone w)(o was broug)(t back by it   
EB: alright  
EB: what next?   
CC: So you need to go to LO)(AC first of all  
CC: You've got somefin important to do t)(ere   
EB: okay!   
CC: I'll conc)(tact you w)(en you get t)(ere   
cuttlefishCuller stopped trolling ectoBiologist [EB]

gallowsCalibrator [GC] started trolling turntechGodhead [TG]   
GC: D4V3?  
GC: WH4T 4R3 YOU DO1NG   
TG: jegus tz  
TG: we talked about this  
TG: im mourning a lost family member  
TG: im wailing by the coffin of my lost love  
TG: i thought he'd be safe from the war but i was so wrong  
TG: and then this little oliver twist dipshit  
TG: who already knows the whole story  
TG: is asking me what's wrong   
GC: 4R3 YOU R34LLY MOURN1NG H1M D4V3  
GC: YOU DONT SOUND L1K3 YOUR3 S4D   
TG: i think this is the one fucking time i get to be sad  
TG: not allowed to get sad when friends die  
TG: gotta bail them out and stick myself in a sprite  
TG: not allowed to be sad when i die  
TG: DOOM3D D4V3, D4V3, GOT TO K33P GO1NG  
TG: im pretty sure this is textbook sad time   
GC: >:(  
GC: SORRY 1F 1 C4NT H3LP YOU W1TH YOUR 1SSU3S R1GHT NOW COOLK1D  
GC: 1 H4V3 MY OWN PROBL3MS R1GHT NOW   
TG: dont you normally talk to karkat about that kind of stuff  
TG: not depressed cool kids   
GC: >:/  
GC: MY R3L4T1ONSH1P W1TH K4RK4T W4S NOTH1NG L1K3 TH4T   
TG: was   
GC: K4RK4TS D34D D4V3   
TG: holy shit  
TG: what the fuck is going on in your hellhole  
TG: i always thought his rage was some kind of self sustaining clusterfuck  
TG: no act of man or troll could stop him   
GC: S4DLY NOT  
GC: WH3N YOU 4R3 DON3 H3R3 YOU N33D TO GO TO D3RS3 4ND T4LK TO ROSE  
GC: SH3 W1LL G3T YOU WH3R3 YOU N33D TO GO   
TG: okay   
gallowsCalibrator [GC] stopped trolling turntechGodhead [TG]

carcinoGeneticist [CG] started trolling gardenGnostic [GG]   
CG: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING NOW?  
CG: SERIOUSLY, WHY DID YOU GO SEE HER AGAIN?   
GG: oh hey karkat   
CG: WHAT, NO PASSWORD COMPLAINTS  
CG: AM I NO LONGER WORTHY OF YOUR WRIGGLER GAMES?   
GG: i don't want to get in that argument again  
GG: it just makes us both miserable   
CG: OH REALLY  
CG: NOT CONCERNED ABOUT SPOILERS ANYMORE  
CG: I WOULD EXPECT YOU TO WANT TO INDULGE IN IT ONE MORE TIME   
GG: i really don't like hearing you hate on yourself  
GG: even as a joke, you know   
CG: REALLY  
CG: I THOUGHT MY MISERY IN THE FACE OF MY TIME DISPLACED SELVES SERVED AS YOUR PRIMARY FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT  
CG: "HAHA, LOOK AT KARKAT GETTING SLAPPED AROUND BY A PAST KARKAT. OH LOOK, NOW A FUTURE ONE IS FUCKING HIM OVER."   
GG: do you think the plan is going to work karkat?   
CG: SO YOU'RE NOT DENYING IT  
CG: I'M GLAD YOU RESPECT MY SUFFERING AND THAT YOU WOULD NEVER IGNORE IT ENTIRELY WHENEVER YOU FEEL LIKE IT  
CG: AND WHAT IS THIS LACK OF CONFIDENCE  
CG: YOU SEEMED JUST FINE WITH THE PLAN LAST TIME I TALKED TO YOU  
CG: HAS SOMEONE TOLD YOU SOMETHING  
CG: HOLY SHIT, IS JACK TALKING TO YOU   
GG: no!  
GG: i mean, i'm just feeling uncertain suddenly.  
GG: are you feeling uncertain?   
CG: DO YOU HAVE ANY CHANGES TO PROPOSE  
CG: OH WAIT, THE PLAN IS ALREADY DELICATELY HANGING BY A THREAD OVER THE UTTER PILE OF SHIT THAT WILL BE ANY FAILURE OF ANY PART OF THE PLAN  
CG: LIKE SOME KIND OF ANCIENT GAP SPANNER NEARING COLLAPSE  
CG: OR DO YOU HAVE NEW INFORMATION FOR THE PLAN  
CG: BECAUSE I MADE THE PLAN AND WE BOTH KNOW HOW WELL IDEAS I COME UP WITH WORK  
CG: HINT: THIS WHOLE UNIVERSE IS MY FUCKING WORK AND LOOK HOW IT'S TURNING OUT  
CG: WAIT  
CG: TEREZI IS DOING SOMETHING WEIRD, GIVE ME A SECOND

Jade: Switch Conversations   
  
GG: sorry Kanaya  
GG: karkat was talking to me   
GA: Oh  
GA: Please Dont Mind Me  
GA: If I Had A Chance To Talk To A Karkat From The Past I Would Take It Without Hesitation   
GG: nah, he finished talking to me :(   
GA: Thats Too Bad  
GA: Ive Been Hoping To Find A Memo That Would Let Me Talk To A Karkat  
GA: Even If It Was Only To Be Shouted At   
GG: what would you say to him, if you don't mind me prying  
GG: i couldn't figure out a way to say what i wanted to   
GA: I Dont Know What Id Say  
GA: I Would Try To Assure Him That I Cared About Him  
GA: But I Think He Knew That  
GA: I Think Id Try To Make Sure He Was Okay  
GA: And That He Was Happy  
GA: He Deserved That Much   
GG: yeah that's kind of what i did  
GG: but i think it just weirded him out   
GA: You Have Mentioned Seeing People Who Claim To Have Died In Your Dreams  
GA: Have You Seen Karkat   
GG: no  
GG: but i feel like i will  
GG: in the future   
GA: Well I Will Be Content With That

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I don't know when ACT 2 will start, but I hope it will be soon. In addition, some edits were made to Chapter 6 based on reader comments, so check that out.
> 
> Writing this has been a lot of fun, and I'm glad people enjoyed it. I'm still writing stuff, no worries. I'll be posting a one-shot next week "It's hard to ignore the strange things you say" featuring Gamzee and Terezi. After that, there's "Address the e%treme danger we are in" which you can probably guess who that's about. Other stuff is still in the works. Suggestions are welcome, either in this comment section or at my tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/blog/defuse00. Thanks again for reading!


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